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Question
What is the poet’s dual attitude towards the snake?
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Solution
The poet at first sees the snake as an innocent creature that has come to quench its thirst just like him. However, as his human instincts take over his thoughts, he feels that the snake is a venomous creature and should be killed in self-defence.
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For he seemed to me again like a king.
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again.
And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.
(a) Why is the snake called a king in exile?
(b) What is the pettiness referred to in these lines?
(c) What does the word ‘underworld’ mean?
Why did the poet throw the log at the snake?
What is the dilemma that the poet faces when he sees the snake?
Why did the poet have to wait near the water trough ? (Snake)
Why did the poet try to harm the snake ?
Based on your reading of the poem, answer the following question by ticking the correct option:
- He seemed to me like a king in exile…' The poet refers to the snake as such to emphasize that the snake
Answer the following question briefly:
In stanza 2 and 3, the poet gives a vivid description of the snake by using suggestive expressions. What picture of the snake do you form on the basis of this description?
Answer the following question briefly:
The poet experiences feelings of self-derision, guilt and regret after hitting the snake. Pick out expressions that suggest this. Why does he feel like this?
Answer the following question briefly:
You have already read Coleridge's poem The Ancient Mariner in which an albatross is killed by the mariner. Why does the poet make an allusion to the albatross?
Answer the following question briefly :
'I have something to expiate'-Explain.
